If you want to know the legal ratios you can look up the national regulations. In NSW it is 6 weeks to 24mo this the ratio is 1:4, 24mo to 36 mo is 1:8, and 36months and up is 1:10. Usually most rooms will have an extra staff member to assist or to cover lunches and programming etc.

We got offered a place at both a FDC and at a for-profit centre. We chose the centre. Reasons why:
- reliability
- more carers
- more children her age and the kids they are looking after about the sans age, so they didn't have one caret looking after the differing needs of different ages
- more room, it seemed the FDC kids were based in the living room. They had a big backyard but that wouldn't help in wet/cold weather
- the FDC seemed to use the TV a lot
- clearer routine
- opening hours suited us better
- the FDC could have anyone at their house
- better communication from the centre.

We love the centre, they were understanding and responsive to when our DD started, were gentle and helped her adjust to their routines. She loves it there.

Unfortunately the reality is that we need private centres to help meet demand. If the government can't/won't fund enough centres to cover all the kids that need care, there needs to be an incentive for the private sector to provide the service. In a perfect world we wouldnt have private schools, hospitals, daycare etc... it would be a high standard available to everyone. But we'd all be paying 80% income tax to pay for it!

Yep I agree there simply isn't the supply to handle the demand which is why profit centres comes in. But really, council DC shouldn't cost them anything, they charge what it costs to run the centre. So I wish more were set up. In a perfect world I know.... but I've always been an idealist lol

I think from my perspective, the issue doesn't lie with the DC workers. I'm sure the ones at for-profit are just as good, just as caring and have the same skills as the council ones. It's the philosophy that bothers me. I just don't believe DC should be the in the domain of profit. Same does for education. Of course JMHO.

Our childcare centre is 1:4 in all the under 3yo rooms. But really I just like the transparency of a centre over a fdc.

A friend of mine just pulled her kid out of a fdc cos he was always getting sick, whereas my kids are hardly ever sick from the centre, so the whole larger Petrie dish comment isn't always the case. Centres tend to call you to collect your sick children, whereas fdc usually leave them in care.

We use FDC. The reason I initially started looking into FDC over centre based care was; less children= less illness, consistency of carer- one carer who my children could form a strong attachment to, home like environment and flexibility to meet my kids needs.

When I was looking for a FDC I had criteria in that I was not interested in any that do before or after school care (adds too many kids and I did not want my kids dragged around dropping off and picking kids up), none that have their own kids to care for and I wanted ones that had similar aged kids to mine.

I cannot fault our FDC, she has been a carer in the same house for 20 years so I think quite stable and generally she only gets vacancies once her current batch of kids start school.

I like that each kid sleeps in their own room so they actually get a proper sleep, she is flexible and tailors activities to the kids interests. Like one week we had been to the museum and my son went to FDC wearing a dinosaur shirt and talking about the dinosaurs he saw so she did a dinosaur week the next week. I like that is is the same 4 kids each day and the same carer every day. I like the very very small rates of illness, the kids are hardly ever sick and she has never had a sick day since we have been there.

I am not too sure where people are getting that random people can turn up at FDC, she has a visitor log and anyone that comes to the house has to sign in and it is clearly visible to the parents. Her registering body makes unexpected visits and leaves a note for the parents outlining what the kids were doing when they arrived etc. She has to comply with the same curriculum as a child care centre.

I am not worried that she uses the toilet, I do the same and leave my kids unattended while I do, and her house is a lot more child safe than mine!

FDC has been great for us

there is a log book.. but not all fdc providers actually make people sign in.. one of our local fdc ladies has her friends over all day long, family and partners etc.. and nobody signs in. She bends the rules all the time and doesn't care. There are good fdc providers but unfortunately when its bad it has the potential to be really really bad because there is just nowhere near the over sight of a cente, which has managers, various staff etc all day long to hold the others accountable. I think fdc can be wonderful. As I said earlier, I was a family day care kid and I loved it! I believe my old fdc mum is still working now and has a great reputation. If only they were all like her, or your lady. I agree FDC appeals to me for the reasons you outlined. Consistency, a family atmosphere.. but Id really need to get to know and trust someone before I'd go that path now. I am jealous of friends who have found a good one!

Reading all these negative comments about FDC is really making me reconsider my decision to become a FDC educator.

Can I ask what the issue is with the carers taking your kids out? By the time I'm ready to start, my DD will be just starting kindy so I'll have to take her (and any other kids in my care) to drop her off/pick up? I've been driving for about 8yrs, have never had an accident or traffic infringement (apart from a parking fine when I forgot to display my work permit) of any kind, I don't speed and am always very careful on the roads. Would this alone be a reason for people to not leave your children in my care?

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